controversial speed cameras. why drivers could catch a little bit of a break if they are caught speeding. fox 5 morning news at 7:00 starts right now. >> this is fox 5 morning news. >> hey the sun is up. we had to set the clocks back saturday. hope you remembered to do there. there's sunshine on this monday november 5th. good morning i'm tony perkins. >> and i'm allison seymour. more sleep. oh, i remembered. full closings in maryland to pass along. northern high school, northern middle school, hickory environmental education center and grantsville elementary all closed due to water problems. all other schools are open on time. >> let's find out as far as our weather go. we turn to tucker barnes for that. >> good morning, everybody. got a lot of clouds to start your day but later this

afternoon we should see sunshine. it's going to be a little on the cool side. nice drive monday in store. there's your satellite radar. live shot, cloud cover across the area. you can see it in the picture. a little upper level disturbance coming through. the trend will be to lose the cloud cover. we should turn mostly sunny but with winds here at 5 to 10, going to feel breezy and cool out. high temperatures will only top out near 50. definitely bring a jacket. a little on the cool side. currently it's cold. regan national 42. bwi marshal, 40. here's your forecast warming it up to 50 with sunshine building in. the sunsets early this afternoon just after 5:00. all right. more details on the weather in just a minute. let's do the traffic. good morning. >> very much a busy commute on the bw parkway this morning. 7 cars involved in this pile up. sky fox is still keeping an eye

on. single file to the right. the accident occurred before the exit for 198. northbound baltimore parkway starting to stack up before you reach 193. southbound on the brakes from 32 but southbound all lanes are open. headed northbound trip out of bwi. better bet is to stick with i 95. we just lost that shot but delays are forming back at the beltway. all right. taking it back inside . we have other problems to report. for those traveling the outer loop, the crash occurred before you reach pennsylvania avenue. the two left lanes are blocked. delays on the outer loop starting to format route 5. down to five miles an hour. trying to work your way out towards land over. that continues on the beltway between 95 and georgia avenue. crash south of 28 tying up two left lanes. your commute from

270 almost an hour trip coming in all the way out towards 270. we have delays to report on the inter loop of the beltway. the earlier crash has gone. but still almost a 25 minute commute leaving 66 headed out towards the bridge. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> all right. we are now just one day away from the election and president obama and mitt romney appear to be in a dead heat. a new abc news poll has both candidates tied at 48%. nbc news has the president leading by 1 point. it will be another hectic day on the campaign trail for both candidates. the president will try to shore up with three stops in battleground states. >> mitt romney will hit four states. following the final push of the presidential election. she's in studio. >> just makes you tired. the pace of the last couple days. it is not over yet . president obama will spend monday in

wisconsin, ohio and iowa. >> sleep is now a luxury for both of these guys. president obama attending a late night rally in colorado. >> i know a bunch of you already voted. but if you haven't, there's still time. >> and all those early voters, perhaps 30 million could be the wild card this time around. plenty of other questions though. will mitt romney's momentum carry the day? sway any undecides or sandy hit a reset button on a race that remains within a margin of error? >> these are like nailing jell-o to the tree. see polls be different in each state. >> the romney campaign thinks pennsylvania with 20 electoral votes is now in play. governor romney was there yesterday.

>> we've journeyed far and wide in this great campaign for america's future and now we're almost home. one final push will get us there. >> the obama campaign says romney is playing defense. >> they've tried to expand the map like in states like ohio where they have to win without carrying the state of ohio. >> the first votes will be cast just after midnight tonight in hearts landing and dixvilla. ohio's polls will close at 7:30. a lot of people saying they don't expect to have results until way after midnight. >> thank you very much. >> the vice presidential candidates also out in full force. joe biden and his wife have two stops planned for virginia including a visit to sterling. they will be joined

by singer john melencamp. >> early event in reno. he will travel to colorado and iowa. >> the washington post today is out with its endorsements of major questions. endorses question 7 the dream act which would allow illegal immigrants to pay instate tuition. on question 5 whether to approve the congressional redistricting map. the post recommends against it. saying allows politicians to choose their voters rather than the other way around. the board supports question 6 to allow same sex marriage and expanding gambling in maryland including a casino and national harbor, the post says should vote for question 7 saying the state can't afford to pass up the projected revenue. >> millions of people in more than 30 states and dc came out ely to cast their vote before election day. early voting has played a huge roll with key

states already releasing the party of those who voted early. voters in our area responded to this year's early voting. i've seen some of the footage. >> the lines. i know wisdom was telling us, he had to wait in line as well. huge turn out for early voting. of those early votings, specifically in florida, 43% were democrats and 43% republicans. a judge there is also extending early voting hours after a suspicious package shut down one of the polling stations for hours. more than 17,000 people in maryland alone casting their early ballots. the state set up 46 early voting centers. voting officials were criticized for not having enough machines or staff to accommodate those long lines. and they seemed to get mixed reviews from

voters we spoke with to. >> should have early voting. makes it easier for everyone to get to the polls. >> i want to vote on tuesday. i want to be part of the whole tuesday voting experience. get my sticker, walk around. i want the whole thing. >> polls will be open all day tomorrow in dc and maryland. and in virginia, voters can cast ballots between 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. all ballots will be announced after the polls closed at 8:00 p.m. she wants to be part of the day. i understand that. >> thank you so much. tony. >> all right. thank you very much. as parts of the northeast continue to recover from super storm sandy, there is another challenge voting in tomorrow easy lex. residents in hard hit cities may have to travel a few miles to find an open polling place.

some will be running on general rate fors and using emergency lights and toilets. workg to ensure voters will not miss their opportunity to cast their vote. >> polling places that are not destroyed but don't have power, we are going to have trucks set up there and all going to vote old school. going to vote paper ballot. and it's going to take us longer to count but everyone is going to have their opportunity to vote. >> new jersey voters can vote by e-mail or fax and may sat cast a provisional ballot at any polling place. in new york, voters at 60 stations will be directed to new locations. >> breaking news today from the sandy storm zone. a small earthquake struck in northern new jersey. the 2.0 quake hit at 119 tame :19. there are no

reports of any additional damage. now to the latest on recovery efforts in sandy's aftermath. a week after the monster storm hit, the death toll continues to rise reaching 110 sunday. and about 1 million storm victims are still without power. they are trying to keep warm as temperatures dip into the 30s. the mayor says the city is facing massive housing problem. up to 400,000 new yorkers may need to be relocated for weeks or months. today students in dozens of public schools affected by sandy will return to class. >> we have a little heads up for amtrak riders. today northeast regional trains will operate with reduced services between dc, new york and boston. also,

urging riders to make reservations to avoid sold out trains and long lines attic et offices. >> just a couple ticks away from 7:11. 42 degrees out there on your monday morning. good news for drivers with the led foot. changes to the speed cameras go into affect today. we'll explain that. >> plus another disappointing loss for red skin's fans. we'll hear from head coach and robert griffin iii after the break. >> and as we take you to the break, live look outside. pretty bright out there. last week at this time it was 8:11 go figure. the latest weather and traffic next. [ mitt romney ] we have to work on a collaborative basis.

look, the reason i'm in this race

is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message. in this morning sports the redskins head into the bye week with a three game losing streak.

they fell to the carolina panthers sunday 21-13 and wasn't even that close despite -- >> just at that. >> ridiculous. they were decked out in 1937 throw back uniforms. robert griffin iii threw for 215 yards but sacked four times. redskins are three and six on the season. the coach is left with a tough road ahead. >> everybody is disappointed in what happened today. you are looking for guys who step up offensely, defensely. and i have to do a better job. we didn't do that today. >> going to come out of a game with a victory. we didn't get that. very upsetting but at the end of the day we have a bye week and come back ready to go. we're not going to feel sorry for ourselves. i don't expect the players to feel sorry for

ourselves. >> expect the players to feel something. griffin had x rays taken of his ribs. santana moss suffered a concussion. two weeks to prepare for the eagles who visit on the 18th. >> i had two observations. one this morning and one last night. talk about cam newton and all this. he didn't look depressed when he ripped open his shirt. that's okay. and secondly, i'm happy to see you have your huge red skin's placard on the back of your car. >> i'm not going to rip it off. but, i was at the game. let me tell you , we the fans getting quite frustrated. no one expected miracles this year. robert griffin iii's first year. and there have been great signs of life but man, the play calling. the lack of effort on the part of some of these

players, you know what, you have 16 days a year you have to show up. 16 days. that's it. there were fights. >> really? >> it's getting tense out there. it really really is. >> i had such high hopes. it's not over. >> although mike shanahan appeared to thrown in the towel. >> can i talk about one other difficulty? watching that game at home, you couldn't see what was happening. >> consider yourself lucky. >> maybe i didn't want to see the 90 yard run. all right. let's go. temperature s across the country. building for big election day. 42 in washington. cincinnati, 28 degrees. check out international falls, 17 this morning. thank you for reaction. >> wow. >> i was hoping for something. san diego, 61. if you head to southern california, still nice and warm. here's what's going to be happening. a little cloud cover to start your day.

should turn sunny here by early afternoon. highs with only about 50. the rain you see out towards st. louis, that is a storm system which is going to dive to the south. reorganize itself over the northern gulf of mexico. why should we care? >> i don't know. >> because it's going to move back towards the midatlantic as a noreaster and bring us a period of rain and wind into wednesday and thursday. watch the temperatures carefully off to the north and west. it is possible if we get cold air could change. it's going to be a close call. there's your 7 day forecast. the period of storminess is wednesday and thursday. looks fine for election day. >> during the weather ask tony and tucker we had technical issues. i was disappointed. >> i'm surprised. i'll have to look into that. let's find out what's happening on the roads. julie standing by.

>> am i the only one that feels this way? monday morning is sad when favorite football team loses and don't have hockey to talk about. this is why we need summer. i'm just going to say it. >> agreed. >> thank you. here we go. out on the roads right now. a lot that's happening here. better news on the parkway. the crash we had before has cleared. from the beltway all the way out towards 32. hour and a half commute right now northbound on the parkway. if you have to fly out of bwi, stick with 95 and use that as the work around. your lanes have been open all morning but slow from 32 back out towards 198. complicated. tying up the two left lanes. overall the commute is slowing from buckeye's town all the way out to rocksville. 51 minute commute because of that accident tying up the two left lanes. eastbound 66 coming in down to

about 31 miles an hour. by the time you reach fair oaks 16 miles an hour. 12 miles an hour leaving utley street. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> thank you very much. >> the debate over dc's dreaded speed cameras takes a new turn. drivers getting a bit of a break, sort of. >> the mayor's office says it was lowering the fines and increasing the penalties on others. the changes go into affect today. was this action taken with the people in mind? wisdom is in the news room with more. >> the new fine structure will improve fairness while continuing to improve public safety. some question the timing of the move. first, let us show you what changes. drivers caught speeding up to 10 miles over the limit will be fined $50 instead of $75. tickets for speeding 11 to 15 miles over the limit will cost

$100 rather than $125. d really floor it and do more than 25 miles an hour over the limit will get a higher fine. $300 instead of $250. the mayor's changes take affect today and do not need approval from the council. the same council that was considering legislation put forth by council members to reduce those fines even further. in fact, there's supposed to be a public hearing this morning. council member wells thinks the mayor is trying to use speed cameras bolster the finances. >> when we balance the budget should be done with taxes. shouldn't be using the fines. and that's what happened. the fines were so high that there's no correlation between what the infraction was and the size of the fines. >> and we're going to be hearing from aaa about the fine changes. a spokes person called it an interesting turn of event ands a

strike from the mayor's office ahead of today's public hearing in the council. we'll talk more with aaa at 9:30 this morning and see what else they have to say about these changes. back to you. >> that's what i was wondering about the timing. interesting. >> thanks. >> right now 22 minutes after 7:00. still ahead, one last welcome home for a navy ship headed for retirement. >> and look out president obama and governor mitt romney. a popular cartoon cat is throwing her cat into the ring. holly is live at hello kitty's campaign headquarters. going to tell us all about her vision and mission. 

back now with a news alert. the hunt is on for a gun man who killed a 22-year-old man sunday morning.

officers passed out flyers with a photo of the victim on it. he was shot in the 300 block of ridge road. police are offering up to $25,000 if you can lead them to jackson's killer. >> how accomplished academically do you need to be to make decisions about other's academics. the washington post has taken a local look at the school boards and degrees of those who sit on the boards. 2 of the 8 members hold bachelor's degrees. compare that to montgomery, and prince william counties where all school board members have at least a bachelors. >> it's the end of the line for the world's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier. the uss enterprise pulled into home port for the last time on sunday. the enterprise has participated in every major conflict in 1962. it began shutting down 8 nuclear reactors

almost as soon as it arrived. the ship will be scrapped in washington state. coming up, well deserved bragging rights at a local hospital involving maryland's best marching bands. >> the last day before the polls open. a closer look at where the race for the white house stands this morning. >> as we head to the break, here's a live look outside. the latest traffic and the latest weather from julie and tucker in a little bit. right now 7:27. stay with us.

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the quints orchard marching band plays their way to the top. they were crowned the winners of the maryland state championship this weekend earning the high score for best visual, best affect and best percussion. this is the third win for the band taking the prize in 2004 and 2008. the band played songs like stairway to heaven and

all-american nightmare. >> i don't think we used the optimum microphone to record them. >> we know how great they were. >> the tape is a little slow it sounded like. >> a little staggered. >> don't start it, tony, please. i can't control. >> 7:31. tucker is here with a look at the weather. >> cold outside. temperatures back in the 30s. a cold couple days and it will be a chilly one with highs in the 50. definitely bring along a jacket. cool side for your monday. 42 in washington as mentioned. overnight a freeze warning. we never got to a freezing mark. we're plenty cold. 39 out at delles. and 37. cold start to the day. cloud cover to start the morning. the trend should

be more and more sunshine here during the course of the day. decent afternoon with mostly sunny conditions and a dry monday. upstream here a little bit. dive down to the south, get better organized and reemerge during the day tomorrow. and scoot up the coast. by wednesday, we'll be getting rain and wind around here. and further up the coast in new jersey and new york, a pretty song noreaster will be developing by wednesday and thursday. and again, the concern here will be some very gusty winds. high tides and storm surge. so won't be as strong as sandy but going to be a news maker. here's your election day weather. weather a nonfactor tomorrow. off the north and west. a few snow showers across the upper midwest. and then of course we'll focus here to the south and east with the developing of low pressure. could bring locally heavy rain to florida.

here in washington, forecast looks fine. highs about 50s. weather not a factor around here tomorrow. morning clouds give way to afternoon sun. still cool. sunsets early tonight just after 5:00. and there's your accu weather 7 day forecast. wednesday looks like a wet one. thursday, depends on the track of the storm how much cold air we can rack in. possible parts of the area could mix with winter weather towards the end of the storm here thursday morning. and then gradually warmup into the weekend. that's a look at weather. let's do traffic and get the latest from julie. >> we hit the ground running this morning. a lot going on. let's get to it as we map out issues. traveling inbound along new york avenue. accident activity tying up the roadway. average speed now down to 26 miles an hour inbound on route 50 trying to get out of river dale. show you the drive

northbound on the baltimore washington parkway. accident cleared before 198. still a 90 minute drive all the way out towards 32. better best to stick with 95 especially if you have a flight out of bwi. route 1 at whiskey bottom, follow police direction in order to get by. 270, crash was in play on the left side of the roadway. the trip headed out towards rockville, 51 minute drive. be careful getting through those inter changes there. 66 slowing down to 31 miles an hour. traffic remains well below speed where your 16 miles an hour and down to 12 leaving to the beltway. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> all right. d day is almost here. polls open in 24 hours and by the end of the day tomorrow we may know who won the presidential election. joining us now are two men who know the campaign trail now.

marty russo and robert walker former republican congressman of pennsylvania and now executive chairman of wexler and walker ppa. thank you for being here. although, by all accounts , it looks like this might not be decided tomorrow night particularly if there are close votes in some of the battleground states and have to count those provisional ballots. marty, let me start with you. from the democratic side of things, how do you think the president stands and how about the senate race? >> we've been talking about this for over a year now. and basically, a lot of what we've been saying for the last year, it's going to be a close election. the national election, it's tied. i think the key part is what's happening on the battleground states. that's where president obama has the advantage at this stage of the game. the question is how do you get the vote out.

that's going to be the critical point is who gets the vote out better than the other candidate. as a virginian i voted for president obama and tim cane for senate. their programs and policies, things they care for about the middle class, social issues and how we're going to deal with the economy down the line. but it's going to be interesting. >> are you confident the president can pull it out? >> i think the president is going to get close to 300 electoral votes. he's going to lose predicted about 350,000 voters will probably not vote in new jersey and new york. won't be able to get to the polls. i think the electoral college is the interesting thing. >> bob, what are your thoughts about the romney campaign and republicans? >> the romney campaign feels good about where they are. the momentum is with them. states

are in play that the obama campaign did not expect to be in play. wisconsin, michigan, pennsylvania. my home state of pennsylvania, there's definitely momentum there. romney drew about 30,000 people at a rally in the philadelphia suburbs last night. that is reflected in a lot of other things. senator casey is in trouble in pennsylvania right now which is unexpected. so i think the romney people are feeling very good about the fact that this is basically a tied race at the present time. what happens in races that are tied is that the incumbent never really bumps above the number that he has at the end of the campaign. and it is generally the challenger that benefits at the end of the campaign from the people who are at least nominally undecided. i think that the romney people are feeling quite good about where they are and their ability to compete tomorrow. >> that wasn't true for john

kerry back in 2004 when he was in the exact same position mitt romney is now. ohio went for president bush and that made the difference in the whole race. >> and that may make the difference in this race who wins ohio. it seems particularly important for romney. >> well, certainly ohio is very important. it always is in the presidential races. but for example, if romney were to win pennsylvania, he probably doesn't need ohio. so those are all big ifs out there at the present time. but the fact is the last poll in pennsylvania put the race at a tie in pennsylvania whereas in ohio, romney's down by a couple points. >> let me ask you, we've been talking about this for a year, in more than a year in some

ways. do you think there's campaign fatigue among the voters? and do you think this goes on too long? is there a way to shorten this? >> it goes on too long for sure. i don't know how you -- used to be 6 months, 8 months. two years before the election starts. regardless of what happens in this election, i think bob is and i can agree on one thing, congress and the new president whether it's president obama or romney. they need to sit down and stop this brinksmanship. they are putting the country in serious injury. elections are over. we have a president, we have a congress. how do we work things out? we have real serious deficit problems. we have serious economic problems. we have job growth problems. it's now time to put all the campaign roderick behind us and start moving forward. >> i couldn't agree more.

it's time for leadership that instead of trying to divide the country in ways that advantage you politically, it's time to figure out a way to sit down and work together and not use divisive language and not do the things that are going to. >> if they elect a president of one party and then elect congress people of another party which could result if more gridlock. >> bob and i during the days when the republicans controlled the white house and the senate. i'm a guy who believes a dividing government works provided both parties want to get something done. we accomplished a lot during the regan years. it forces you to compromise. what happens when one party controls everything, there's no compromise. it's my

way or the highway. both parties have done it. i'm a proponent for dividing government. >> our system relies on checks and balances and the american people they've decided is by having divided partisanship in the government. so it's up to the people who get elected to figure out how you make that work and how you find the right kind of policies that allow everybody to feel good about the end result but nevertheless move us forward. >> we have to go. partisanship is good. a responsible partisanship is not. >> partisanship allows you to define the issues. but if you don't ever move toward a compromise is necessary to make government work. for instance, just pass budgets. that i think under mines the country. >> thank you very much. we will talk to you in the days ahead. thank you very much. 7:41 now. we'll be right back with fox 5 morning news.

[ earnest ] out of the blue one day,

we were told to build a 30-foot stage. gathered the guys and we built that 30-foot stage, not knowing what it was for. just days later, all three shifts were told to assemble in the warehouse. a group of people walked out on that stage and told us that the plant is now closed and all of you are fired... i looked both ways, i looked at the crowd, and...we all just lost our jobs.

we don't have an income. mitt romney made over 100 million dollars by shutting down our plant and devastated our lives. turns out that when we built that stage, it was like building my own coffin, and it just made me sick. [ male announcer ] priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. making headlines, the fbi reportedly on its way to

question a suspect in the attack on u.s. consulate in bengazi. arrested after he allegedly posted details about the attack online as it was happening. he is currently being detained. >> all right. now to an inspirational story out of chicago. the first mind controlled bionic leg debuts at willis tower. zach who lost his leg in a motorcycle accident used the leg to climb 103 floors to the top of the building and he did it in less than an hour. money raised from the event goes to the rehabilitation institute of chicago. less than an hour. extraordinary. that's fantastic fantastic. >> just likes a limb would work. it's mind controlled. >> it's amazing what they can do now. all right. good stuff. >> hey tuck. >> good morning. a little chilly yesterday and saturday for that matter. >> a little more rested. >> did you get the extra hour?

>> i did. >> i got up at 6:00 instead of 7:00. this is a live shot. clouds across the area . i know it looks gloomy. by late morning, sunny breaks. >> looks like we get product placement on the pizza place. but we didn't. or did we? >> it's making me hungry. we should be dry for our monday. 37. freezing mark, 32 for you. 42 in salsbury. it is a chilly day. 36 in detroit and 35 in richmond. we're going to be watching the coastal storm. we're fine today, fine tomorrow. fine tomorrow as well for election day. getting into wednesday, here comes our storm that could bring us rain.

and unfortunately, pretty good storm system for the jersey coastline up into new york wednesday night into thursday. and future cast getting a little aggressive there with the cold air. i do want to add there is the possibility that if the area gets cold enough, we could mix with winter weather north and west of town. stay tuned for that. 51 today and you can see the storminess wednesday and thursday. >> all right. cold on the backside. >> cold on the backside. >> storminess and cold on the backside. >> let's go to julie and find out what's happening with traffic. >> i feel like i should hide after hearing all of that. >> you'll be okay. >> all right. all the roads this morning, we've had our hands full with the accident that involved 7 vehicles northbound on the baltimore parkway. the lanes are open but still well over an hour and a half commute headed northbound right now leaving the capitol beltway out towards 32. 95 is the better ride for you this morning headed up towards bwi.

traffic flows at 212 headed for the beltway. on and off the brakes from 32. traveling eastbound on 66 below speed here at 16 miles an hour. the pace remains heavy and slow over towards 28 and centerville. slow traffic 50 to 123. down to 16 miles an hour headed close into the beltway. tied up leaving springfield. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> all right. thank you much. coming up, presidential campaign all about friendship, fun and happiness. >> can we live in that world? >> i wish we could. >> take us there. >> i totally live in that world. what candidate is promoting that? hello kitty of course. she is indeed running for president this year and her campaign headquarters are right here at the living social building where we are live this morning in the final election day push is on. it does support a good cause. we're going to talk about that

and how you and your family can get in on this presidential party all live next on fox 5 morning news. stay with us. charlie rose: will you endorse president obama? colin powell: yes. when he took over we were in one of the... worst recessions we had seen in recent times... close to a depression. and i saw, over the next several years, stabilization... come back in the financial community. housing is starting to pick up. the president saved the auto industry. and the actions he's taken with respect to... protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid. and so, i think we ought to keep on the track that we are on. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message. infringement on our lives.s like such an... how dare they step into my life that way. it's none of their business. he's trying to restrict us, again. he's taking us backwards.

george allen is the last thing we need in washington. anncr: the democratic senatorial campaign committee is... responsible for the content of this advertising. we had a good group of people. good group of employees out there. this was a booming place. and mitt romney and bain capital turned it in to a junk yard. i was suddenly, 60 years old. i had no health care. mainly i was thinking about my family. how am i going to take care of my family. he promised us the same things he's promising the united states. and he'll give you the same thing he gave us. nothing. anncr: priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

my name is julian bond. i know a little something about fighting for what's right and just. maryland's gay and lesbian families share the same values and they should share in the right to marry. i believe people of faith understand this isn't about any one religious belief. it's about protecting the civil right

to make a lifelong commitment to the person you love. join me in supporting question 6. it's the right thing to do. welcome back. >> there is one party that hasn't gotten enough play this election cycle. you may not have even heard of the friendship party. have you tony? >> i had not until two days ago. hello kitty fans are all about it. and you can visit the campaign headquarters. holly morris has more from the pop up location in northwest washington. >> reporter: good morning. if you are tired of which candidate gets the best zinger in and all the negative campaigning and really want a candidate that's about friendship, fun and happiness, hello kitty just might get your vote. find out more about her platform.

come down here to the living social building where we are live and checking in with hello kitty's campaign manager. good morning. >> good morning. >> tell me how this whole campaign came about. i don't think hello kitty has gotten much play. >> more and more play now. what we wanted to do was something fun. a little light heartedness over this election season. >> why do you think we need this? >> more friendship, fun and happiness. that's what hello kitty brings. >> let's talk about campaign headquarters experience. tell me what's going on. >> at living social, everyone's welcome to come by today and tomorrow from 10:00 to 8:00. portraits for free. amazing historical hello kitty themed presidential art all over the walls. >> let's talk about why hello kitty would be such a good candidate? >> she is a pure happiness.

she brings smiles and happiness to so many different people in so many different ways. makes people happy. >> i was surprised i wasn't asked to be her running mate. people describe me that way. i understand she has 11 million fans on facebook. that's a good base. >> she's got a lot of fans on facebook and that continues to grow. again, just speaks to the fact everyone loves hello kitty and enjoys her. >> this is the campaign desk. when people come in here --. >> you can pick up all your free hello kitty for president campaign memorabilia. bumper stickers. yard signs. >> and you know it's a big deal and the push is on with the lolita girls. >> here helping support the campaign in colorful and unique way. they've been great. >> and helping to support a good cause. couple things going supporting a very important charity. >> yes.

we've partnered with georgetown cup cake to support our partner and georgetown cup cake has created these amazing delicious cup cakes all going for support of 826 dc. >> tell us more about 826 is joe calihan. good morning to you sir. what exactly is it? >> we're a non-profit that works with students ages 6 to 18. >> and tell me about the art here. >> the art here is from some of our after school tutoring students who work with four days a week. all of our programs are free of charge and work with more than 3,000 students. >> when you get a backing as strong as this, what does it mean for your organization? >> means really great exposure which we're excited about. we've only been around two

years. so we're really excited to be partnering with hello kitty and get the word about all the friendship and love. >> and for people who don't know about 826, the difference you've seen in children before and after they've been a part of the program. >> you know, we've seen grades increase, kids become more excited about writing and schools. they come in and get to meet mentors in the community. we have more than 1,000 volunteers across the city. they get to meet caring adults in the community and go home and ready for the next day of school. >> thank you very much. you can come back hello kitty as well. today and tomorrow myfoxdc.com is our web site. coming up in our next hour, when someone is running for president, you have to talk about their background. more in depth about the history and maybe need to find out where she stands on the economy. what is her plan.

we'll get to the bottom of it. back to you all. >> i know you will. thank you. >> all right. just one day to go before voters head to the polls. ahead at 8:00, what it's like inside an intense campaign. >> and mistake after mistake. the redskins head into the bye week following their third straight loss. next hour, the sports junkies from 106.7 the fan will join us live. this year, america's privately-owned freight railroads plplan to spend $23 billion on their network. that's like buildiding 4 nat's stadiums, 5 wilson bridges, and 8 dc convention centers...all in one year. and not a penny of it comes from taxpayers.

look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.

freight railroads plan to spend $23 billion on their network. i'm mitt romney, that's like launching 4 mars rovers, 10 gps satellites, and 20 space shuttles ...all in one year. and not a penny of it comes from taxpayers. this is fox 5 morning news. >> straight ahead at 8, the final hours. this time tomorrow the polls will be open. how both candidates will spend the last day at one of the longest races in history. >> plus, the redskins rule. why yesterday's big loss could bode well for romney's white house vote. >> and later, watch where you're going. what happened when a water tanker tried to cross train tracks a little too late. good morning. i'm tony perkins. >> i'm allisr . there's only one winner ever in that type of scenario.

>> good morning tucker barnes. >> good morning. >> weather was all right this morning. >> it was cool in november. today we're doing more the same. and going to be a crisp fall afternoon. go out and rake the leaves. >> or have someone do that. >> and watch. >> right. >> he doesn't know it yet. >> give them a good forecast. >> we're going to look at the satellite radar or straight to the numbers? all right. straight to the numbers. 42 at regan national. delles 39. we have cloud cover across the area. clouds nice and thick at the moment here. but we have clearing not too far away. and the trend will be more and more sunshine. plenty of sun this afternoon. we'll get dry afternoon with cool temperatures sticking around. a little breezy too. definitely jacket weather here to stay for monday. election day looks fine

and a big storm. >> all right. thank you very much. >> now let's check in with julie for a look at your on time traffic. >> on time traffic brought to you by toyota. >> all right. still a lot of delays on the outer loop as you travel from 95 around to georgia avenue and the inter loop headed around toward gallos road. northbound on the parkway. just a 30 minute back up leaving the beltway towards 32. much improved here but if you have a flight out of bwi, use 95 as your work around. delays leaving $32 headed out toward capitol beltway. outer loop of the beltway, slow downs. we have the stalled car. that is going to be northbound route 5. follow police direction in order to get by there. that outer loop coming out of land over, about a 22 minute ride headed out towards 295. that's a check

of your fox 5 on time traffic. >> the count down is on. >> the president contest appears to still be up for grabs. abc news, a washington post poll has president obama and mitt romney tied at 48% a piece. independents not affiliated to either party are tied at 46%. focusing on battleground states. virginia and ohio are among the states that will likely decide who will win the white house. melanie is tracking both camps. >> good morning. and as we've talked about an ex aufting schedule and -- exhausting schedule. yesterday in cleveland ohio joe biden's plane was getting ready to take off at the same time that mitt romney's had just landed. this was late in the afternoon. both

campaigns are projecting confidence. president obama will spend monday in wisconsin where he leads by 4 points and on to ohio and iowa where the race is closer. sunday the president held rallies in new hampshire, florida, colorado and ohio. mitt romney wrapped up sunday in newport news, virginia where he told supports he'll ensure a strong military force. fairfax, virginia later this afternoon. showing a statistical tie for the 13 electoral votes. mr. romney has a rally at 9:00 in central florida. in the last days, both men are talking about bipartisan ship and talking about differences. >> this is not just a choice between two candidates or two parties. it's a choice between two different visions of america. it's a choice between a return to the top down policies that crashed our

economy. or the strong growing middle class based policies that are getting us out of a crisis. >> the only thing that stands between us and some of the best years we've known is lack of leadership. and that's why we have elections. this tuesday is a moment to look into the future and imagine what we can do. to put the past four years behind us and start building a future. >> by the end of today both candidates will have hit ohio twice in the past 48 hours. a lot of people are also talking about the romney campaign's push into pennsylvania. yesterday, the democratic campaign called it a desperate ploy. a poll out this morning from the pittsburgh tribune review found they were tied at 47% apiece. >> very interesting. >> thanks. >> now, we're going to go to the next story.

officials in dc estimate more than 50,000 people casted vote early. more than 10% of the district's registered voters. early voting was first allowed. those big crowds also meant long waits. some people say they stood in line for two hours. in maryland, tomorrow easy lex will focus on several big ballot questions. this morning the washington post editorial board gave its take on the issues. the post endorses question 4 the dream act which would allow illegal immigrants to pay in state tuition. on question 5 whether to approve the congressional redistricting map. the post editorial board supports question 6 to allow same sex marriage and on expanded gambling including a casino at national harbor, marylanders should vote for question 7 saying the state can't afford to pass up the projected revenue. >> officials in new york and

new jersey won't let hurricane sandy impact tomorrow 's election. putting voting machines into place. officials say they are confident the voting will proceed smoothly in the areas hit hardest by sandy. 7 days after sandy hit, more trouble for parts of the garden state. still cleaning up. this morning a small earthquake shoot several towns in north jersey. the magnitude 2.0 was centered in ridge wood. but at this time no reports of any additional damage or injuries. the death toll from sandy has risen to more than 100. and 2 million people still have no power. commuters should prepare for a maniac monday, excuse me, manic monday. and long lines for gas.

saw an influx of volunteer work over the weekend. thousands of runners pitched in to help after that race was called off. dropping temperature ands chance for another coastal storm has officials worried about the thousands of people left homeless in sandy's wake. >> while new york and new jersey rash in fuel, the rest of the country is enjoying a huge drop in gas prices. sharpest drop in four years. puts a price at $3.55. credit falling oil prices and sandy for the dip. the storm cut demand. drivers in dc are paying more at $3.67 a gallon. drivers in maryland and virginia are paying less than the national average. >> later this morning, a pub lib hearing will be held. the hearing will discuss several

changes to the speed camera. mayor vince gray announced new fine to lower the ticket for vie rations up to 10 miles an hour to $50. and violations for up to 15 miles per hour over the limit. but tickets for speeders going 25 miles per hour over the limit. those will increase to $300. 24 hours and counting. still ahead we will sit down for a campaign insider with how the candidates will spend the last day. >> but first, running out of time. the redskins head into the bye week at the bottom of the division after the loss to the carolina panthers. we'll look back at what went wrong next. it's 8:09. we'll be right back . u

the 19 yard line. >> the state of the skins not looking good heading into the

bye week. >> third straight loss. the panthers came to fed ex field having lost five in a row. former heisman winner cam newton threw for a touchdown. ran for another. the panthers win 21-13. they will face the eagles at home after the bye week. the so-called red skin's rule could bode well for mitt romney. viable prediction of who wins the white house. in 17 of the last 18 elections, the challenger has gone on to win when the redskins lose their final home game before voting. the only time that did not hold true was in 2004. very interesting. >> yes, it is. >> 8:13. let's head over to tucker barns with a look at our weather. >> good morning. let's get down to business. time now for our my first 5 photo of the dachlt

beautiful face. today we say hello to alexa grace. >> she's adorable. >> her parents say the 4 month old loves to take pictures. >> what? >> that's what her parents say. maybe she likes to have her pictures taken. and every time she sees a camera, she smiles right away. >> very cute. >> look at her dimples. >> she looks wise at 4 months old. she looks wise. >> i like to get some sugar from that baby this morning. is that too much to ask? >> all we have is a picture. >> so adorable. >> go to my fox dk.com. c.com. 42 in washington. it's chilly. it's cold off to the north and west this morning.

many of the suburbs here locally are in the mid 30s. columbus, 27. new york, unfortunately, people still don't have power, 39 degrees. chilly to our north and east. looking at our satellite radar, we're fine. i think we'll see mostly sunny conditions here by afternoon. should be a dry monday. although, a cool monday with highs only about 50 degrees. out to the west, rain out towards st. louis. that is a storm system which will take shape and then reemerge as coastal noreaster around here wednesday and thursday. election day fine. sunny and cool tomorrow. but wednesday and period of storminess around here including a cold rain and plenty of wind wednesday into thursday. watch it carefully. if enough cold air can wrap around the backside of that system, things could get interesting.

there's your 7 day. 51 today. 49 tomorrow. and then a warmup by the weekend. 62 by sunday. get it back on the 60s. let's do traffic. >> all right. the latest is eastbound 66 is where we have trouble spots to report. for those continuing inbound this morning trying to work your way down 23. and again, you are going to find the left side of the roadway blocked. there's another vehicle involved in this crash. a lot of activity happening right now. eastbound along 66 approaching 123. heavy and slow from 234. and again working your way east of 286 headed in towards vienna. continuously now to rockville. earlier accident long gone and finally outer loop of the beltway remains slow. bw parkway still about a 30 minute ride headed up towards 198. that's a check of your fox 5 on time traffic.

>> okay. talking with our next guest who is going to tell us what it feels like to dedicate months or years of your life to a political campaign and stop and sit back and wait for the voters decide. firsthand knowledge of all of that having worked for several state and national campaign. phillip is now president of political grass roots consulting firm. and he joins us to talk about what it is like to be on the inside. good morning. >> good morning. >> i won't ask you to tell us your whole resume but worked for bob dole's campaign and bush cheney. tell us about your background. >> sure. grass roots get out the vote operations for bush cheney. first race for governor. worked on a host of other campaigns and now a lot of consulting. >> we wanted you to talk bipartisan. what it's like to be on the inside. less than 24 hours to go now until the polls

open. >> half the campaign it's sort of in the eye of the hurricane. sorry to use that metaphor going in. but they worked so hard and this storm has come. now you've got this two day period. the fundraisers are sitting back and dwidling thumbs and going we don't know what's going to happen. then you have the get out the vote specialists. they are still in the storm. they are working to figure out where the specific precinct specific counties where maybe the early vote hasn't turned out as well as it should for either candidate. what they are doing is going into those precincts, getting their volunteers to go door to door. probably a lot of people listening and watching are like oh, yeah they've knocked on my door 50 times. and that's what they are doing. the eye passes and what happens next could be a recount. and that's when the next storm comes in. >> we've lived through this

morning. the popular vote versus the number that's needed to get to the white house. what is that like? how do you sit there and now it's really out of your hands. >> i've been on two recounts. i was on the florida recount in 2000. it's tough. all you can do is rely on the team that is trying to turn out the vote. we had a tied race. four years ago, obama ran one of the greatest campaigns we've ever seen. and the mccain campaign didn't have the resources. romney campaign does. obama campaign does. when you are going back to what these people are working on and today. both campaigns have had workers that have been on their teams for 6 to 8 years. think about this. they've given up all their lives for 6 to 8 years. this is the day before it gets decided. >> looking at this year's campaign, do you think it was overly negative. was it a turn

off or more positive? how would you rate this year? >> with the explosion of social media, hyper focused. the same as it always is. unfortunately, those messages, those negative messages are what resonate. >> right. interesting. okay. that last minute push, what are the candidates doing. we know they are all over the place but when they've done all they can do, do you take a nap? what do you do? do you sit up with a bunch of -- what do you do? >> all candidates do a lot of different things. some take a deep breath. when i worked for governor bobby he was at every voting location he could find. and do media hits. tried everything ectoget out the vote until the polls closed. >> if you can fix your mic. what about the thought of the families and the wives. i think

it's only been wives. what are they thinking? you can say nasty things during the course of a campaign. this is just in the spirit of politics and move along? is there really a like between these candidate snz. >> it's such a good question. they get so emotion . the campaign workers get so emotionally invested. when you take a step back, you see it for what it is. you saw at one of these fund-raising dinners where romney and president obama were shaking hands and joking with each other. and off the record, that's what they are dog. but the wives, the campaign workers, so emotionally invested into what they believe is the best course and best vision for america. it's really hard. really hard for the children. >> i was going to say. the president has young children too. we wish we could talk to you longer. we have really appreciated your insight into

this. interesting stuff. 72 hour get out the vote. tony, over to you . >> interesting stuff. thank you very much. coming up on 8:22 now. coming up next, climbing any obstacle all the way to willis tower. the two inspirational stories from the stair climb coming up. and later, the history of hello kitty and a look at her role in the presidential election. live in northwest with the details. [ earnest ] out of the blue one day, we were told to build a 30-foot stage. gathered the guys and we built that 30-foot stage, not knowing what it was for. just days later, all three shifts were told to assemble in the warehouse. a group of people walked out on that stage and told us that the plant is now closed

and all of you are fired... i looked both ways, i looked at the crowd, and...we all just lost our jobs. we don't have an income. mitt romney made over 100 million dollars by shutting down our plant and devastated our lives. turns out that when we built that stage, it was like building my own coffin, and it just made me sick. [ male announcer ] priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising.

look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.

we have important news for anyone battling diabetes. new research shows people with the blood sugar disorder and clogged arteries fair better with bypass surgery instead of having stints placed to prop open blood vessels. compared the treatments in a study of 1900 treatments. five years later, 19% of the bypass group had suffered a heart attack, stroke or death compared to 27% of the people given stints. chicago history is made up of the first person. >> 31-year-old zach debuted the

mind controlled bionic leg while climbing 103 floors to the top of that building. lost his leg in a motorcycle accident. he's been recovering at the rehabilitation institute of chicago. the climb helped raise money. the leg's motor's chains and belts could be heard. he finished the climb in under an hour. it was his first public appearance since suffering a stroke last january. amazing. >> good for both of them. >> still ahead, the battle of the heisman winners. >> we're going to check in with the sports junkies for a look at what the redskins need to do to get back on track. >> first, a freight train versus the water tanker. the ending all caught on tape. it is 8:26.  [ mitt romney ] we have to work on a collaborative basis.

look, the reason i'm in this race is there are people that are really hurting today in this country. and we face this deficit -- could crush the future generations. and republicans and democrats both love america but we need to have leadership -- leadership in washington that will actually bring people together and get the job done and could not care less if it's a republican or a democrat. i've done it before, i'll do it again. i'm mitt romney, and i approve this message.

making headlines here at home and around the world, the u.s. soldier accused of a massacre makes first court appearance. staff sergeant robert bails slaughtered 16 villagers during a predawn rampage last march. the hearing could last as long as two weeks. it will help to determine whether he faces a court marshal or the death penalty. >> continues to investigate how a man got into a dorm friday afternoon and sexually assaulted a woman. it happened on 4th street northwest. dc police were able to arrest 19-year-old miles shortly after the attack. he's charged in that case as well as a sexual assault back on october 26th. howard says it's policy for visitors to show id and sign in when entering a dorm. that is its policy. >> and finally, ouch. a close call on the train tracks.

pretty much happened but caught on tape. here's the close call he will filming train when he noticed a water tanker truck crossing the track too late. you see it blown right there. the cameraman rushed over, he was amazed to find the two occupants unharmed. he says the driver didn't notice the train. >> i suspect there were other things going on there too. good for them they weren't harmed. >> i've been waiting here all day. tell me about the event. >> the uso gayla on the weekend, it was the best. basically they honored the soldier of the year. all of the different branches. martin dempsey was there. secretary of

defense was there. retired adm ira l. jordan sparks she was great. >> you served as mc. >> i served as mc. >> it went well. >> big presidential tele prompters. we should get those in here. >> oh, the glass ones? >> yeah. all around and everything. it was great. i thank the us o for having me out. i think we picked up new viewers. >> saturday night i mced a squirrel fight. two squirrels battling. >> ridiculous. you can do better than that. temperatures at regan national. 42 in washington. 39 this morning. a lot of 30s north and west of the city. hanging here with the cloud

cover. slowly going to warmup over the next couple hours and eventually things are going to top out in the upper 40s and 50. we should see more and more sunshine. i know we have clouds out there at the moment. here's what's happening. cloud cover. we'll get breaks soon and afternoon sun upper level disturbance. we're not going to get rain here today. this is our next storm system. this one is going to do a dip down to the south. gather energy down sxheer right up the coast wednesday into thursday and bring us a coastal noreaster. wind around here and possibility of heavy rain as well into the wednesday, thursday time frame. some of the computer models aggressive in bringing cold air. we could make things interesting for parts of the area by wednesday or thursday. weather mostly a nonfactor for tomorrow. off to the pacific northwest, showers. snow here to the north.

and coastal system will bring in heavy rain to florida and portions of georgia and south carolina. around here, sunshine and chilly conditions. there's your 7 day. 51 today. 49 tomorrow. wednesday and thursday storminess and cold air in the backside of the system. we will have a warmup for the end of the week. redskins with allison and tony. >> thanks, tuck. the redskins head into the bye week with a lot to think about. >> they have lost the last three straight despite the best effort of their rocky quarterback. 106.7 fm -- whatever. the junkies join us now live. it is good to see you. >> it's a monday. >> no more burgandy and gold tie. what happened to that tie? >> because i'm frustrated. i was at the game yesterday. i don't think any of us thought that the redskins were going to

have this great winning playoff bound season. we didn't think that. the way they are losing these games is horrific. and you know what? let me tell you something. i don't know if you were out there. i was out there. you can feel it . the fans are fraus traited. it was tense. there were fights in the stadium. it's going to get ugly. >> it's not supposed to be this way. at some point you have to start. i understand and i'm with you. none of us had them going to the playoffs. we thought they'd have a losing record. at least the great part the first five or six games is there were in it. they were scoring points. the last few games they've been life less. >> you had rgiii playing spectacularly and now the offense is going south. and this was a game in which you are showing 4th downplay and dominated the ball offensively in the first half and walked

away with three points. the defense was letting them down. this week it was the offense. >> they are a bad team. bad teams don't necessarily beat other bad teams. especially at home when there's no home field advantage. >> you can be more competitive and don't expect your coach to wave the white flag after the game. huge no, no. >> please go on about that. after the game i'm driving home i'm with my son and his friend and my friend. and we're listening to the press conference. and shanahan said we use the rest of the gear to evaluate. we looked and say did he just throw in the towel? >> it's unbelievable. as the leader of the team, the face of the franchise, the highly paid $7 million a year coach, you cannot do that. you can say that in close quarters behind closed doors but can't say it with the media with the cameras rolling. >> not in week 9, tony. week 9 we're punting the season. >> it's the truth though.

they should not evaluated players. >> we want to be lied to. why? why? then you are going to be frustrated at the end of the year. >> he told us we still have a chance. >> the truth. the truth tony. >> give us false hope. >> they are always evaluating. evaluate in training camp and the preseason. and what they do in practice. that's not news. you play to win the game. >> we've been talking about this all morning. what shany says to me is meaning less. you don't know which team won or lost. some of these coaches are firy. and some aren't. it's what's happening on the field. the results at this point are anemic for mike shanahan. and i don't know there's a way to defend a guy who is 3 and 6. you look at a team like the dolphins or colts. one of them with an interim coach and more

wins. >> please tell me you are getting comp tickets for the redskins. >> here's one of the things that i'm tired of. my son is 9 years old. i've taken him to 6 red skin's games at home. he has not seen them win. that's ridiculous. and i don't know what's going on there. but when diangelo hall gives up on a play and let's a guy go in for a touchdown, he needs to be sat down. bench him. need to see discipline. >> getting back to jason's point he's right. shanahan was being honest. when your wife gets a new haircut and asks you how it looks, you say it looks great. right? you say they look fantastic. honesty to a point. >> i don't care what anybody says. this is my opinion. the losses don't affect

mike shanahan like they did ten years ago. they just don't. >> i know you got to run. the truth is nobody 's ever won a superbowl after they won another one. >> you want discipline? 13 penalties for 97 yards. most penalized team. >> and that is a good last point. guys, love you. thanks. good to talk to you. see you again soon . just tired of it. i'm tired of it . i've been a fan since i was a little boy. still ahead, stand alone spanx store. >> something you can celebrate. >> and why it's not just for women any more. >> why the box office actually did better because of hurricane sandy. it is 8:39 and we will be right back. 

maryland, it's time.  time for marriage equality. question 6 strengthens protections for our churches and guarantees the civil right to commit to the one you love. while there are those trying to divide us, presidents obama and clinton stand with us. pastors, business leaders, newspapers, democrats and republicans are all coming together for question 6. because it's about fairness-- treating everyone equal under the law. and who could be against that?

all right. a new 3d animated movie is wreaking havoc at the box office. >> finished at number 1 this weekend. my money went. did yours? >> yup. >> more than $49 million. actually faired better because of hurricane sandy.

because so many schools were closed. flight soared into second place. you saw that one too right? >> really good. >> second place with $25 million opening. argo and the man with the iron fist tied for third. the pictures out of new york and new jersey have been hard to ignore. one of the most iconic so far hits news stands today. this is today's cover of new york magazine. shows manhattan at the peak of the big apple blackout. photographer ivan ban snapped the picture wednesday night from a helicopter hovering 5,000 feet above the city. >> all right. it is now 8:43 on this monday morning. coming up next, one woman's billion dollar idea opens doors. we'll have a sneak peak inside. >> the presidential election first feline candidate. >> good morning.

you know what? excitement right now for hello kitty. the candidates have just arrived rallying the troops. hello kitty and tuxedo sam are here. they are running on friendship, fun and happiness. talk more about the history of hello kitty. what you need to know about her before you vote for her. live in the living social space. have you been here? we're going to talk about that and why you should take advantage of it. stay with us. charlie rose: will you endorse president obama?

colin powell: yes. when he took over we were in one of the... worst recessions we had seen in recent times... close to a depression. and i saw, over the next several years, stabilization...

come back in the financial community. housing is starting to pick up. the president saved the auto industry. and the actions he's taken with respect to... protecting us from terrorism have been very, very solid. and so, i think we ought to keep on the track that we are on. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message. it is time for our facebook fan of the day. and we say hello to paul jackson and angela griffith. paul nominated angela saying she can't start her mornings without fox 5. if we were on for 24 hours a day she would be watching. thank you so much angela. and paul too. for your chance to be fan of the day, log on to facebook page and leave a comment under this picture. it's a phenomenon most women love.

we're talking about spanx. those problem solving under garments that tuck and tighten. last week, the company opened first retail store right in virginia. beth parker takes a look inside. >> reporter: it doesn't feel like much of a gamble to open the first spanx store. >> we looked at the country and where we have a concentration of our customers and where there was a great spot in a mall. and this is where it ended up being. after we signed the lease, it was the location of the very first apple store. we thought that was very good karma. >> also a good idea and hard work. the founder of spanx body shaping underwear. >> we have such an enormous collection of all these body shaping garments and we wanted to be able to display them in one location. >> named the world youngest self made billionaire by forbes

magazine. >> expect an environment that's warm and friendly. we have a transformation team that is ready to make you look fabulous. a lot of women shop based on the body shape. we have so many different yarns that our transformation experts can help a woman. >> the new store has something for everyone including men. >> no one has paid any attention. we tapered it in, added lykros and makes guys go a belt loop tighter. >> where does she go from here? >> future plans world domination. we want to go international and this is just the start. >> beth parker, fox 5 news. >> thank you for that. >> maybe i'll try the t-shirt. >> why not? >> we hear about fat cat donors during election years. what about a celebrity cat who is

fronting her own campaign under the friendship party? >> sounding interesting. holly morris says hello in northwest dc. >> reporter: good morning to you. and let me say any campaign headquarters that hands out head bands and balloon rings gets my vote. this is a fun spot for you and your family to come the next few days. it is the headquarters of hello kitty. it's a busy time here. and the campaign manager is back here joining me. you haven't slept for days. >> you are right there. >> it's tough being president. >> it is fun. >> living social headquarters. let's come in and see all that's going on. exciting time right now. the candidates themselves are here. >> the candidates are here and happy and willing to meet and greet. come on down and meet the candidates. >> kissing babies, shaking

hands. hello kitty and the running mate. tell me about sam. >> tuxedo sam is the winning candidate. he's been elected by our fans on facebook. we had over 20,000 votes. tuxedo sam emerged as the winner. he brings a lot of bow tied and cuteness. >> okay. for people who aren't familiar with hello kitty, let's talk about her past. we want to know where our candidates come from. >> of course. hello kitty contrary to popular belief, hello kitty was born in london. and i do get a lot of questions about that. how can she run for president? she's a citizen of the world. >> a lot of people are concerned about the economy. does hello kitty have a plan? >> hello kitty is supporting the economy. giving away a lot of free goodies.

cup cakes, lots of campaign goodies. limited edition collectibles for free. that's a start. kitty has a very big heart and she is not only supporting a local charity but also hurry leaf going on here. >> yeah. exactly. supporting 826 dc locally. but national in response to the recent disasters, we are supporting american red cross hurry leaf. >> so dave, everybody thinks their platform is great and should be the one. you got to get the votes. >> yes. >> and we got the popular vote, electoral vote. how are the states shaking out here? >> pretty well. everyone seems to love hello kitty. you can't go wrong with that. >> i understand the demographic is 4 to forever. >> appeals to lots of different people in different ways. >> for you to have this pop up space, this is a nationwide

campaign. how has it been going? >> it's been amazing. we've been seeing the love from everyone. we've had more than 5,000 people and we're hoping to see a lot more today and tomorrow. so come on down to the headquarters in dc. >> 10 to 8 today. and tomorrow leading up to the big election. hello kitty is your candidate. i want to bring in mara griffin. this is a phenomenal space. >> so excited to be campaign headquarters for campaign in 2012. we're excited to be here in dc in allowing brands and all of our living social members to interact in a unique way. >> what kind of goes on here? today and tomorrow, big time election. but beyond that what else happens? >> this is a great place to learn all sorts of amazing things from cooking classes, top chefs.

greatp paint and sipping classes and cocktail classes. yoga. great way to interact with local businesses. >> have you found it's been pretty well received so far? >> we've been opened since february and more than 50,000 people have come through our doors. >> and how do you feel about hello kitty for president? >> she's a really strong candidate. and definitely going to put a new spin on this campaign with her platform of friendship. >> and don't you think there's time there's a woman in the white house? >> exactly. >> i saw you were thinking that. >> it's time for girl power. >> we got it going on here. myfoxdc.com. we have a link to hello kitty for president. come down here today and tomorrow. 10 until 8. coming up in our next hour, head on up to the second floor and talk more about you can help with relief efforts. back to you in the studio. >> thank you so much. nice to have fun with that. >> that's cute.

yeah. >> still ahead in our next hour, hitting the track when the new york marathon got canceled. one runner's special story coming up. >> first though, the last minute push for votes. how president obama and governor mitt romney will spend the final 24 hours of the campaign. it's 8:55 and you are watching fox 5 morning news on monday morning. it's my coffee when i want it.

you press a button, you have great dunkin' coffee. i got my coffee for the morning, i got my dunkin' k-cup packs for the rest of the day. only available at dunkin' donuts restaurants. america runs on dunkin' coffee.

i'm drinkin' a dunkin' latte. i'm in love with my dunkin' latte. it is a treat. they're packed with flavor. it's my kind of latte. try the simply delicious latte everyone can enjoy. america runs on dunkin'! this is fox 5 morning news. >> race to the finish line. right now at 9:00, the candidates takeover battleground states. too close to call this morning. melanie is live with the final pushes. >> then the incredible bond between father and son. hurricane sandy may have taken down homes but couldn't shatter one runner's dream to support his father's fight against disease. the inspiring story ahead. >> and dr. oz.

will join us live this morning to talk about some of the health consequences. plus a preview of what's to come in all new episodes this week. >> and before you put the pedal to the medal, check your bank account. speeding fines are changing. a slip here or there while cost you less. a led foot could cost you hundreds in some situations. details on all the changes at 9:30. good morning. i'm tony perkins. >> and i'm allison seymour. >> tucker is down in the weather center to tell us what's going to happen today. >> thank you, tony. big piece of it . we have the cold temperatures to start your day. back in the 30s overnight. a cool one today with highs about 50 degrees with partial sunshine. and mostly sunny this afternoon. the last couple frames starting to get breaks. if you are south and southwest of the city, you are clear already.